Future Travel Plans: December 2014

December 2014

San Diego

Tijuana

First off, I'm going to San Diego in December.  It's easy to figure out why I would go there.  Diverse cultures, cheap eats, not Los Angeles... what more could a budget traveler ask for?  Well, I could always go to Tijuana, right across the border.

If you now are wondering whether I have officially lost my mind by going into a place that's reportedly filled with drug dealers, human trafficking, and all sorts of things which (if you're a big fan of the slippery slope fallacy) could land me in a Mexican prison, then I'd like to take a minute to tell you about my hometown (and where I currently live), Redding.

Redding is home to all of the things Tijuana is known for, at least to the same degree if not more.  Drug dealers?  Redding just to happens to be (alongside Eureka) one of the crystal meth capitals of the North State.  Human trafficking is a serious issue here, along with domestic abuse.  Another problem is a broken county mental health system, which I myself have been affected by.

With this in mind, Tijuana begins to sound like a picnic to me about now.  Unfortunately, it isn't; drug cartels do have a lot of power there.  However, I am going with a friend who grew up there, and therefore knows the ins and outs of the place.

There is also a draw for culinary travelers in and around Tijuana.  Fearmongering in the media may have hurt the economy, but it also has brought a sharp decline in stereotypical tourists who seek only places in their comfort zone.  Therefore, more travelers seeking a more authentic, realistic experience there have increased slightly.  Restaurants and food stalls are responding to this, and now Tijuana is undergoing a return to more traditional cuisine.